Life was designed to be lived in community.

Intro: If I got a
dollar every time someone said; let me give you my opinion on that matter. I
would have a nice chunk of change by now. It seems everybody has an opinion and
advice to freely give; sadly enough judgement is usually included. We (believers)
are out of our jurisdiction when we attempt to be the jury, lawyer and the
judge, and assume we can give a verdict in these cases of life were a part of!

“Therefore
let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a
stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.” Romans 14:13

Text:
James 4:11-12

“Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil
of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law.
But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is
one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?”

God hates all sin, but there are a few sins that are constantly
and strongly condemned by Scripture. Judging others—condemning, criticizing,
backbiting, gossiping, speaking evil, and talking about others—is one of the
sins that Scripture never lets up on. Judging others is severely condemned. James
makes this very clear in this text. There are four thoughts that go with this
Biblical truth of judging others. Here lies the test in this series this week!

1. Judging
others is speaking evil of brothers: v.11

“Do not speak evil of another” The
NIV calls this slandering; slander is oral defamation (insulting), in which
someone tells one or more persons an untruth about another, which untruth will
harm the reputation of the person defamed. Slander is very much a major issue
and the world just doesn’t think so! Judging others is speaking evil of them!
rare is the day when the National News isn’t covering some slanderous news of
someone of influence.

While Christians are to expect slander from outside the
church, slander within the church is unacceptable. “But if you bite and devour
one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!’ Galatians 5:15

WE
HAVE GOT TO QUIT EATING OUR OWN! NO OTHER ORGANISM DOES THIS, WHAT IS WRONG
WITH THE CHURCH!

"Speaking evil" means to criticize, judge, backbite,
and gossip against another person. Talk about a person behind his back, when he
is not present.

Talking about a person is evil. It is just as much an evil as
the failure of the other person. The person who judges is as guilty as the
sinner. Christian believers are not to judge and speak evil of one another.
When we criticize a brother or sister in Christ, we are slandering one of God's
own children.

Have you ever had someone ask you if they can give you some
constructive criticism? Interestingly enough they really don’t wait to see if
it is okay to criticize, that is just an opening statement to the inevitable;
you are going to be criticized! There are several reasons why people tend to
judge and criticize. Criticism boosts our own self-image. It adds to our
own pride, ego, and self-image. Criticism is simply enjoyed. There is a
tendency in human nature to take pleasure in hearing and sharing bad news and
shortcomings about others. Criticism makes us feel that our own lives
(morality and behavior) are better than the person who failed. Criticism
helps us justify the decisions we have made and the things we have done
throughout our lives. We rationalize our decisions and acts by pointing out the
failure of others. Criticism is an outlet for hurt and revenge. We feel he
deserves it. Subconsciously, if not consciously, we think, "He hurt me so
he deserves to hurt, too." So we criticize the person who failed.

2. Judging
others violates the law of God: v.11

This is a shocking statement: talking
about and slandering a brother is speaking evil of the law. What does this
mean? When a person talks about and condemns others, he is violating the
greatest of all laws, the royal law of love: the law that plainly declares that
we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, remember James 2:8 “If you really
fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself," you do well.”

The criticizer and backbiter is
speaking evil of the law; that is, he is condemning another person for some
failure while he himself is standing there breaking the law. His speaking evil
against his brother does not uphold the law of love; it speaks evil and tears
down the love of love. "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with
what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it
will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your
brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you
say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank
is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and
then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” Matthew
7:1-5

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have
loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that
you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

3. Judging others sets
one up as judge, as a law-giver: v.11

Judging others sets one up as a judge or
as a lawgiver. When we criticize a brother, we are saying that the law he has
broken is important, very important—so important that he should not have broken
it—but the law of love is not important enough to keep us from criticizing him.
We judge the law he has broken as important and the law of love as not so
important. This is a common practice of people, a very common practice. We
choose which law should be kept and which can be occasionally broken. It may be
the laws governing gluttony, anger, worship, sex, controlling what we look at
and desire, drunkenness, covetousness, or the great law of love being discussed
in this passage. But no matter what the law is, we judge the law when we pick
and choose... When we pick and choose, we set ourselves up above the law of
God. We make ourselves the judge of the law; we make ourselves lawgivers. This
is not our function. Scripture declares plainly that our duty is to obey the
law, not to be a judge of the law. This is exactly what the end of verse 11 says: "If
you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge".

“Therefore
let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a
stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.” Romans 14:13

“But be
doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

4. Judging
others takes God's right and authority: v.12

Judging others takes God's right
and authority. This verse is clear and forceful; it is a very strong warning to
the criticizer and backbiter. God alone is the great Lawgiver, and
Scripture declares: "There is [only] one lawgiver." He and He alone have
given the laws that are to judge and condemn our neighbors. When we judge,
criticize, and backbite our brothers, we are taking God's right to judge men.
We are setting ourselves up in the place of God, making ourselves God—claiming
the right to sit in judgment upon our brother. No person, not one of us, has
the right to sit upon the throne of God's judgment. We forget this action can
destroy this other person’s life.

There is only one Person who is able to save
and destroy—and that Person is God. There is no way we can fully understand
everything that is going on in this person’s life that we our judging. There
are always many behind-the-scene facts. Children and parents, wife and husband,
employer and employee, friend and friend—things happen when they are alone
behind closed doors. Unless we are God we can’t know all the facts. The spirit
of talk to others is the spirit of self-justification. The spirit of silence is
the spirit of caring and compassion. The spirit of silence is always the spirit
which desires no hurt for others, at least no more pain than what has to be
borne. We all sin no one is exempt. The believer must always remember that his
righteousness is Jesus Christ, and he is always dependent upon Christ's
righteousness. 1 John 1:9

All there is to know about a person is never known.
How then can we criticize? Judging others usurps God's authority. When a person
criticizes another, he is saying that he is worthy and has the right to be the
judge over other lives. He is claiming the right to be God, which is
ridiculous.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged" Matthew 7:1

These are
the thoughts that go with this Biblical truth of judging others. Here lies the
test in this series this week! Are you passing this test or are you in
deliberations? Let God be God and you not!